The more I read and watch on various media this week about "union-busting" in order to "balance budgets," the more skeptical I become about the quality of our democracy and those we've elected to "represent" us. Don't get me wrong; I have spent a lot of my savings and have found stipends that have allowed me to travel, study & live in a great number of countries. I've always returned to the good old US for too many reasons to list here. When my state and federal representatives, though, try to convince the general public that all public employees need to make concessions (salary freezes, additional contributions to health care...), I don't have to scratch the surface much to find their true political motives: money and supporting Big Business' interests to churn out more money (check out the Rachel Maddow video I've linked from the homepage that illustrates this point). Granted, I make a good salary for my 25 years' of teaching experience combined with my extensive and varied professional development to continually improve my pedagogical skills and student-centered instruction as well as my German and Spanish language skills. It's not simply that I've punched the clock for those 25 years. I'm a far better teacher than I was when I entered the profession in 1985, and even than I was 5 years ago. I'm definitely not in the minority of teachers in the US Public Education System that fits this profile, either. But, I don't need to preach to the choir about this here, do I?! What I do wish to share is this: the right to collectively bargain teacher contracts (Taylor Law/1967) was a purposeful and well-fought right to improve the quality and stability of public education for all American children that when attacked should not be taken lightly. Perhaps it's having been aware of the "moonlighting" jobs my father, a 6th grade teacher at the TJ Connor Building (Wheatland-Chili) had to take on while he was our primary breadwinner ($5K didn't go far, even back in the mid/late 60s - although a friend of his entered the work force the same year dad did and worked a fork lift at Kodak for over $11K - with only having a high school diploma). Or, perhaps in 1977, hearing over dinner my mother, the #15 School Librarian, recount what really happens along the picket line when the RCSD teachers went on strike for 2 weeks - and were docked 4 weeks' pay for that act. Or perhaps it's from hearing incredible anecdotes of working conditions (buildings in need of repair, disproportionate teacher- student ratios, limited pupil services…) that currently exist in rural, urban, & suburban districts while attending the NYSUT conferences and Representative Assembly. Compound that by hearing at AFT conferences what public school teachers endure throughout "Right-to-Work" states: union-busting will not resolve our districts', states' or federal financial woes. But, it will drastically hobble continued and improved successes in public education. The education we provide our Webster students is very high quality – and our “consumers” have evaluated it accordingly. That is even more reason not to turn back the clock on improvements our collective bargaining agreements have made over the years to reach this level of service delivery to our students..

I added this blog so our nearly 800 teachers could upload their ideas and comments in a central location rather than "replying to all" in their buildings. Posting these great ideas to this blog could encourage healthy discourse, engaging the faculty of all 11 Webster schools.I ask that we do so in a professional and thoughtful manner. NOTE: If you prefer to remain annonymous, please simply use your initials or WTA Member when asked for your name.